by Iris Abbott
Cole read her body language and could tell she was about one second away from fleeing and that was the last thing he wanted. He wanted her to stay, so he tried to engage her in deeper conversation. “There seemed to be a lot of excitement going on over here right before I arrived.” He arched a dark brow, “anything I need to know about?” He crossed his arms and gave her a look that smacked of confidence. “As sheriff I like to stay on top of things.”
The other four women had ended the group hug and Caroline stepped forward. She wrapped an arm around Faith and drew her closer in a protective gesture. “Hey Cole, I see you finally met Faith.” She narrowed her eyes and looked between her two friends. It was as if she could pick up on the tension between them. Finally she gave both Faith and Cole a slow smile. “I hope you’ve been making her feel welcome,” she patted Cole’s shoulder in a sisterly manner. “And make sure you treat her right,” that was a warning that Cole acknowledged with a slight nod of his head.
“Now I’m not making an announcement to the room in general since this party is for Faith, but you’re already here and I owe you,” she gave him a big wink. “You’re the first guy other than Kyle of course to know that we are expecting a baby!”
Faith watched while Cole offered his congratulations. He didn’t seem upset by the news and Faith found herself a little excited by the fact that the sexy sheriff no longer seemed to be carrying a torch for Caroline. She listened to them talk for a couple of minutes before Cole offered a polite nod in way of farewell and disappeared from the party. Faith silently searched for his large frame throughout the room for the rest of the party, but failed to spot him. Oh well it was a small town and she’d probably be running into him soon enough she decided.
******
Faith slowly looked around the table at all the smiling men and women. This was her third dinner party in as many weeks. People had definitely gone out of their way to include her in social events and make her feel at home. This party was being hosted by Mason and Abigail Blake. Faith’s gaze finally landed on the empty chair in front of her. Its occupant had yet to arrive even though the guests had already been seated and were halfway through the first course.
She didn’t need to ask who that chair was waiting to seat. It seemed that she and Cole Duncan were the only two single people inside this particular social circle. They were both third wheels so to speak and as a result they were constantly paired together at these dinners. They were polite to each other and Faith was finally starting to warm to Cole’s mild flirtations. After all what woman wouldn’t be tempted by smoldering eyes that reminded her of chocolate.
Faith frowned when a sudden unpleasant thought occurred to her. Cole was usually on time. She crinkled her brows. She hoped nothing bad had happened to delay him. She knew that being sheriff could be dangerous even in a sleepy community like the one they lived in.
Faith heard the front door open and close. She held her breath and slowly released it when Cole walked into the room apparently unharmed.
Cole stopped at the head of the table to shake hands with Mason Blake. He nodded to everyone around the table. “Sorry I’m late folks. There was a car accident involving three cars on the outskirts of town, so my on duty deputies were busy. Then I got a domestic dispute call on the other side of the county.” He flashed his devastating grin to everyone seated at the table then his eyes rested on Faith. “I couldn’t leave such a beautiful woman waiting, so I hurried here as fast as I could.” He winked at Faith. “I promise I didn’t speed to get here, though I really wanted to.”
Faith could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. That man was incorrigible. “Well thank goodness for that. It wouldn’t look too good if our esteemed sheriff got a speeding ticket now would it?”
Cole arched a dark brown brow. This was the first time since they’d met five weeks ago that Faith had bothered to flirt back. He liked this feisty side of her. He liked it a lot. He sat down in the chair across from Faith and gifted her with his sexiest lopsided grin.
Faith felt her heart flutter in her chest. Why did that man have to be so darn sexy? She tore her gaze away from him and fixed it firmly on the salad in front of her. Oh boy she was going to have another long night of trying to resist the temptations of one sexy devil.
TWO
Three weeks later
Faith had been looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend all week. She’d settled into the town and school nicely, but keeping up with the energy level of first graders was exhausting! Thank goodness she hadn’t been invited to one of the frequently occurring dinner parties this weekend. Even though it was a Friday night all Faith wanted to do was sit on her couch with her feet up, sipping a nice cool glass of sweet wine. The Montgomery sisters had introduced her to the fruity sweetness of Muscadine wine. She was now savoring a glass while she relaxed from a hectic and emotionally exhausting week at work.
A timid knock on the front door of the house she was renting startled her. It was well after nine and she wasn’t expecting any visitors. Faith didn’t think any of her friends would show up this late at night, at least not without calling first.
An image of Cole Duncan popped into her head. He lived in the neighborhood. Maybe he’d seen her light on and stopped by to keep her company. Just the thought sent a tingle down her spine. She’d been trying to keep her distance from the sexy sheriff, but that was difficult when they shared so many friends and lived so near each other. They’d sat across from each other at four dinner parties in the two months she’d been in town.
She glanced down at the worn but comfortable pair of cotton shorts and cutoff t-shirt she was wearing. It wasn’t really fit attire for greeting guests, but then again she hadn’t been expecting anyone, so… She put down her wine glass and walked to the front door. If it was Cole she didn’t know what she’d do. She was wary of men at this point thanks to her ex-husband Patrick, but Cole sure was tempting. She looked out of the decorative glass panel in the middle of the door, but didn’t see anyone. The knock sounded again. She looked down way down and found one of her students standing by the front door. Jasmine was wearing her pajamas. That sent alarm bells to clanging inside Faith’s head.
Faith flung open the door concern dripping from every pore. “Jasmine, what on earth are you doing here so late at night?” Faith remembered just in time that the little girl and her family lived two houses down. Still why was the little girl out so late at night and by herself too? The alarm bells jangled louder in Faith’s head.
The shy student nervously wrung her hands together and fidgeted from foot to foot. “Sorry Ms. Riley, but I didn’t know what else to do. I woke up from a nightmare and couldn’t find my daddy anywhere.” Her little voice trembled and big fat tears dripped down her chin. She stepped closer to Faith and wrapped her skinny arms around Faith’s waist.
Faith gave the young girl a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “What about your mom?” As far as Faith knew Jasmine’s parents were still married. She’d seen both parents at the house several times.
“My mom is staying with my aunt. She just had a baby and my uncle couldn’t be here to help.” She frowned. “He’s in the National Guard and had to leave the country.”
“Are you sure your dad wasn’t home?” Faith didn’t like the sound of this. Who would leave a little girl home alone this late at night? Her purse was where she’d left it on the table in the foyer. She grabbed her keys and then took the little girl’s hand. “Maybe your dad was outside for some reason and he didn’t hear you when you were looking for him. Let’s go back over there and see if we can find him okay.”
The little girl looked at her with trusting and adoring eyes. Faith gave her an encouraging smile and they started walking toward Jasmine’s home. The little girl chatted most of the way. Faith had a responsibility to her student. She didn’t want to upset her by asking a lot of questions, but Faith was going to have to report this to someone if she couldn’t find the girl’s father. It definitely wasn’t safe for someone as y
oung as Jasmine to be home on her own especially in this day and age. Faith chewed on her bottom lip. She decided the best approach was a direct one. “Jasmine has your mom and dad ever left you alone before?”
“Nope,” the little girl answered with absolute certainty. “I usually go everywhere my mom goes, but she said my aunt and baby cousin needed all her attention for a few days, so I stayed home with daddy.”
They’d reached Jasmine’s house. The door was still slightly ajar from her hasty exit. Faith briskly knocked on the door and waited. When she didn’t get a response she pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside with Jasmine. “Mr. Tome,” she called out. There was no response. She glanced at Jasmine. “Did you check your parents’ bedroom?”
“Yep,” the little girl nodded and then barely managed to suppress a yawn.
Faith’s already present frown deepened. This wasn’t looking good. Jasmine was tired, but Faith couldn’t leave her in an empty house. She was only six years old for crying out loud. “Show me their room okay Jasmine.” It was worth a try she thought, with any luck the man would be fast asleep in his bed and everything would be okay.
They walked down the hallway to the last room at the back of the house. Faith noted that the house was almost a replica of the one she was renting. The door to the master bedroom was open and Faith could plainly see that the neatly made bed hadn’t been slept in. Crap! Nope this wasn’t good at all. “Mr. Tome,” she called out again louder this time as desperation began to set in. There was no response.
She bent down on one knee so that she was eye level with Jasmine. “I think you’re right. No one else is here. I can’t leave you home by yourself.” She thought about taking the obviously tired child back to her home and letting Jasmine sleep on the couch, but she couldn’t leave this unreported. Something was very wrong with this picture. Her senses were screaming at her. Something wasn’t right and she had an obligation to protect her student.
The delectable Cole Duncan lived in one of the houses in the cul-de-sac at the end of the street. It was about five houses down from where Faith was living. She and Jasmine could walk there in less than ten minutes. She’d gone out of her way to avoid the sheriff and all temptations associated with the man, but this wasn’t about her and her insecurities. This was an emergency and she needed the sheriff’s assistance.
She took the little girl’s hand. “Let’s go see if Sheriff Duncan is home,” she told Jasmine. “I think we need his help.”
“Can’t we just stay here,” the little girl whined.
Faith wanted to give in, but her senses were screaming for her to get help. She was probably being paranoid, but after ignoring her intuition about Patrick she now tended to overcompensate. It was indeed better to be safe than sorry as the old saying went. “No I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here by yourself, besides what if your dad needs help. We need to let the sheriff know what is going on, and lucky for us he lives in this neighborhood.”
Faith took the little girl’s hand and started off at a brisk pace. She was anxious to let the sheriff know what was going on with Jasmine and her family. He might know how to get in touch with the girl’s mom if they couldn’t find her dad. It wasn’t late for a Friday night. She hoped he was home and not out on the town with a hot date. And she told herself that was for Jasmine’s benefit not her own. No way could she be jealous at the thought of Cole on a date. Besides he hadn’t had a date at any of the dinner parties they had attended together.
She held her breath as they turned the corner. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if Cole wasn’t at home. Faith let out the breath she’d been holding in a giant puff of air when she saw that Cole’s house was well lighted. Hopefully it meant he was home! Home alone she added as an afterthought. She didn’t want to walk in on an adult sleepover. That would be too hard to explain to Jasmine if the little girl happened to ask. And one thing she’d learned about Jasmine, the little girl was shy but curious.
She began to walk even faster encouraging Jasmine to keep up while she talked to the child about adventures and late night outings. Faith pressed the doorbell as soon as they stepped onto the porch. She kept her finger on the lighted button and didn’t let up until she heard heavy footsteps approaching the door.
“All right all right, I’m on my way. Keep your pants on,” she heard the masculine voice instruct. That sent some interesting images through her head, but she fought to block them out. She needed to find Jasmine’s family not lust after the sheriff. The door was flung open and a bare chested Cole Duncan stared back at her. She felt her resolve slipping and quickly moved her eyes from Cole to the little girl who needed her help. Jasmine she reminded herself was the reason she was here.
Cole flung open the door wondering who his uninvited visitor could be and why his or her finger was stuck on the doorbell. It better not be a bunch of neighborhood kids playing tricks. He was so not in the mood. It had been another busy week at work. His fierce frown turned into a sexy smile when he saw Faith Riley standing on his doorstep. Then his eyes wandered to the little girl at her side and all thoughts of naughty fantasies and getting the lush brunette into his bed faded away to nothing. This obviously wasn’t a social call. He knew Faith didn’t have any children of her own though she did teach at the elementary school. “What’s going on?” he asked in the stern voice he saved for the job.
Faith pushed aside the tingling that coursed through her body at the sight of the sexy sheriff. Getting an eyeful of his well-muscled chest wasn’t helping. Her body was telling her she needed to get to know Cole much better. Her mind was telling her she needed to put on the brakes. She’d already learned her lesson when it came to rushing into a relationship with blinders on. It could be unhealthy and she didn’t plan to make that mistake again. “Sorry to bother you Sheriff Duncan.” That’s right. Keep it formal. She gave herself a mental pat on the back. “Jasmine Tome came to my house a little while ago. It seems she woke up from a nightmare and couldn’t find anyone else in the house with her. I took her back to her house just to make sure she hadn’t somehow unknowingly overlooked her father.” Her forehead became wrinkled and her brows knitted together. “I couldn’t find him either.”
Cole stiffened his spine. “Where’s her mom?” he demanded in a very official sounding voice.
Faith shrugged, “Jasmine said her mother is helping her aunt out with a new baby and Mrs. Tome is staying over there. Do you happen to know where her aunt lives?”
Cole frowned. “Yeah I know where her aunt lives. Jasmine’s uncle is one of my deputies, but he’s been overseas for the past few months.” That was the main reason Cole was being rushed off his feet on the job lately. “This isn’t like the Tomes. Richard and Maggie have always appeared to be responsible parents.” Cole opened the front door a little wider. “The two of you better come on in, while I finish getting dressed. Then we’ll go back to the house and I’ll have a look around.”
Faith watched him walk away and noted that his hair was wavier than usual and it looked damp too. He must have just gotten out of the shower, which would also explain the naked chest. Several images of Cole in the shower flashed through her mind and she let out a low groan. Darn it! Why did the man have to be so sexy? She was probably going to dream about that chest and the rest of his body tonight. Faith let out a long sigh, but abruptly cut it short when she saw Jasmine watching her with wide eyes. There was no need to upset the poor child any more than she already was.
Faith felt guilty. Her student was obviously upset and worried about her dad. And instead of trying to comfort her, Faith was too busy having erotic thoughts of the sheriff dance through her head. “It’s all right Jasmine. I’m sure we’ll find your dad soon.” She offered what little comfort she could. She wasn’t feeling too optimistic, but there was no reason to let her doubt alarm the young girl.
Cole finally returned. He’d changed into a pair of khaki pants and a button up dress shirt, his uniform when on the job. His badge was prominently disp
layed on his belt and Faith saw him tuck a service weapon into the small of his back. He bent down in front of the young child. “Your name is Jasmine right?” He waited for the little girl’s nod before continuing. “Have your parents ever left you home alone like this before?”
“No,” she managed to whimper. “That’s why I went to Ms. Riley’s house. I had a nightmare and I couldn’t find my daddy anywhere.” The little girl sniffled. “I was so scared. I’ve never been home alone before. I wasn’t sure what to do then I remembered that Ms. Riley lived nearby.”
Cole gave the little girl a comforting pat on the back and then stood up to his full and very intimidating height of well over six feet. “We’re going to take my SUV over to the Tome house,” he instructed his two visitors. “If I can’t find Jasmine’s dad then we’ll take her to her mom. And I’ll issue a strong warning about leaving such a young child unattended. We’ll let her deal with her husband this time.” No one had gotten hurt. If this was a marital issue there was no need for him and Faith to become involved. It would be better for Maggie to deal with her husband and his errant behavior without involving the sheriff’s department, this time.
Faith grasped Jasmine’s hand in her own and they followed Cole into his garage. She waited until he opened the backdoor of his large black SUV and motioned for them to get in. She felt much better about the situation since she’d involved Cole. He knew the family and he’d know exactly what to do if they couldn’t find Jasmine’s dad. She let out a deep sigh of relief and helped her student climb into Cole’s large vehicle.
“I don’t have a booster seat, so make sure her safety belt is securely fastened. Hopefully we won’t have to go any further than her house.” He waited while Faith did as he’d instructed and then got in behind the wheel. His brain was in sheriff mode and he had a thousand thoughts and questions running through his mind. “How long ago did Jasmine come to your house?” He needed a solid time frame to work with when he talked to either one of the Tomes.
